Life Goes On

Losing your people is never easy, even when you know it’s coming.

Death is inevitable. Whether it be too early, or after a fulfilling life, at some point our bodies are going to fail us. It is one of three certainties in all of our lives.

We were born.
We live.
We will pass.

My circle got smaller last week. My grandfather went to be with my grandmother after an incredibly short battle with cancer (although it seemed like an eternity, at the time). Within one month, the disease took over his body and then took him from us. It seemed like in a blink of an eye he went from being the same gruff man who had a soft spot for his granddaughters and the stray cat he (and the rest of the town of New Market) fed, to a frail version of himself who only wished for the end.

There are some things worse than dying, and this was one of those instances. Grandpa’s passing brought peace – for himself and for our family. He is no longer suffering, and we all know he is much happier.

I have so many memories of my grandparents. Many revolving around going to church as a kid, or learning to ride my bike on the dead end street next to their house, or how my grandparents would without fail show up to our house every evening – but would have to get home before the streets rolled up in New Market.

As I thought about the past week today, it became painfully obvious about how the world keeps spinning despite your personal disasters. Life is going on, even if I’m grieving on the inside.

Maybe that’s why I bawled like a little girl when Dorothy rolled over by herself for the first time this afternoon. It’s the circle of life. Yes, my grandpa is gone, but my baby is here. She’s hitting new milestones and making new memories with her grandparents and great-grandpas, and I only wish they were all here to see her.

This week I lost someone I loved dearly. It’s not easy. I’m hugging my daughter a little tighter tonight, because even a long life is too short.

I’ll miss you, Grandpa. Rest easy.